6 Outrageous Incidents of Discrimination Against Nonbelievers

2: Alexander Aan, Indonesia. In January 2012, Indonesian civil servant Alexander Aan was attacked by an entirely different mob, after he criticized Islam on Facebook and said he’d left the religion and become an atheist. Following the attack, Aan was arrested for insulting religion (i.e., blasphemy), electronic transmission of defamatory statements (i.e., blasphemy via the Internet), and false reporting on an official form. That last charge is loaded with horrible irony, by the way: Indonesians are legally required to register as one of six official religions… thus literally forcing people who doesn’t believe in one of those religions, including people like Aan who don’t believe in any of them, to lie.On June 14, Aan was sentenced. He is now serving two and a half years in prison.

3: Phillipos Loizos, Greece. In September 2012, Phillipos Loizos was arrested in Evia, Greece, on charges of posting “malicious blasphemy and religious insult” on Facebook. His crime? Creating a Facebook page making fun of Elder Paisios, the late Greek Orthodox monk revered by many as a prophet — a page referring to Paisios as Pastistios, connecting him with the satirical atheist faux-religion Pastafarianism, and replacing his face with an image of the Greek beef dish pastitsio. Seriously. Aggravated Photoshopping, with intent to mock. Overzealous police officer? Maybe. But then why was Loizos not immediately released, with pleading, tear-stained apologies and a groveling request not to sue? Why, as of the release of the IHEU report on December 10, is he still being charged?

4: Sanal Edamaruku, India. A humanist organizer and a renowned skeptical debunker of supernatural claims — sort of a James Randi of India — Sanal Edamaruku is the president of the Indian Rationalist Association. He’s also the guy who, in March 2012, profoundly embarrassed the Catholic Church on national television, when he debunked a supposed “miracle” believed in by thousands by proving that a weeping Jesus on the cross was actually the result of a leaky drain.

Unfortunately, this doesn't surprise me. While it isn't as egregious, there's a case here in the States where, for instance, a Wiccan was fired for her beliefs. I as a Jew can be fired for mine where I live. The two "major faiths" as far as numbers (Christianity and Islam) keep talking about the war on their belief systems, yet they are the ones who are engaging in war which makes their belief systems into the bad parties.

Unfortunately, this doesn't surprise me. While it isn't as egregious, there's a case here in the States where, for instance, a Wiccan was fired for her beliefs. I as a Jew can be fired for mine where I live. The two "major faiths" as far as numbers (Christianity and Islam) keep talking about the war on their belief systems, yet they are the ones who are engaging in war which makes their belief systems into the bad parties.

It is illegal to fire someone because of their religion. Of course, you have to be able to prove that was the reason for the termination.

I live in a state where you can be fired for no reason, including your religion, and you have no recourse. It may seem illegal, but there are some states where that doesn't matter.

No there aren't. Even in employment-at-will states, it is a violation of federal law to fire someone because of their religious beliefs. The difficulty is in proving that your religion is the real reason for the termination.

A lot of the above religious clamp downs are due to nationalism. For example you can go to jail in Turkey for a religious blasphemy charge and for saying anything bad about or denying the official Turkish national narrative.

The Turkish nationalism mythology fascinates me since I read about it in college.

Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which is perceived as being contrary to notion of freedom of speech, states "The person who publicly denigrates the Turkish Nation, the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the State, shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to two years.

A lot of the above religious clamp downs are due to nationalism. For example you can go to jail in Turkey for a religious blasphemy charge and for saying anything bad about or denying the official Turkish national narrative.

The Turkish nationalism mythology fascinates me since I read about it in college.

I get why Ataturk had that written, but laws like it choke off discussion, ensuring uniformity of stated opinion and preventing any reevaluation of the 'sacred' worldview or the events underlying it.